TRENTON – Gov. Phil Murphy July 20 signed Executive Order No. 248, which updates the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management’s (NJOEM) processes and procedures related to the National Incident Management System (NIMS).
According to a governor’s office release, pursuant to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidance, the NIMS provides a comprehensive and standardized approach to incident management and provides emergency management systems and protocols that guide how personnel work together during emergency events like hurricanes, winter storms and pandemics. As the state’s lead emergency management agency, NJOEM is responsible for statewide NIMS compliance, for providing oversight and coordination of NIMS incident command training and preparedness grants, and for facilitating training programs for state, county, and local emergency response providers.
“Up to date emergency management practices are critical to keeping New Jerseyans safe,” stated Murphy.“The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that we must always be looking for ways to improve procedures as it relates to overseeing large-scale responses to serious and often unanticipated events. This executive order will bring NJOEM’s practices in alignment with updated FEMA guidance.”
“Keeping New Jerseysans safe is our primary goal. Events such as the 9/11 attacks, Superstorm Sandy, and the Covid-19 pandemic are why we take an all-hazards approach to emergency management,”stated Col. Patrick Callahan, state director, New Jersey Office of Emergency Management. “These events have taught us that awareness and preparedness save lives. This executive order will align us with federal guidance and support us in furthering this goal.”
Executive Order No. 248 rescinds Gov. Richard Codey’s EO #50 (2005), which is now obsolete and relies on NIMS guidance that has been outdated for several years. The new EO additionally gives the state director of Emergency Management the authority to continue to prescribe updated NIMS training guidance and requirements in accordance with new FEMA guidance.
A copy of Executive Order No. 248 is available here.
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